BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The Unforgettable Southern Billionaires: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Young Adult Rich Alpha Male Billionaire Romance)

by Walker, Violet

  But to his surprise, there were no feelings of guilt in his heart. In fact, he felt at peace with himself. At least, his feelings for Amber were out in the open now. He looked at Helena once more. It seemed as if she was smiling at him.

  “I love you so much Helena, you know that. But another truth is that I’ve fallen in love with Amber too. You’ve seen how beautifully she is managing YOUR house and YOUR daughter. I know that wherever you are, you would wish to see me and Rose happy. And our happiness lies with Amber! Is it so wrong to love her back after all that she’s done for us?” Peter asked the portrait of Helena in front of him.

  There were tears rolling down his eyes. But he knew in his heart that those were not tears of repentance. Rather they were tears of goodbye…he was finally letting Helena go. He closed his eyes and waited for an answer.

  He thought he heard a low whisper…. “I am so happy for you, Peter. Amber is a good girl. Always keep her happy. I wish you both all the best…. Goodbye!” He opened his eyes and again looked at the portrait. He knew his Helena had been here. And she was happy for him!

  Peter felt a sense of relief washing over his entire body. He was finally completely relaxed. He lifted Helena’s portrait and put it back into the cupboard. Lord Peter Bryton had finally found the closure that he badly needed. He promised Helena that he’d always keep Amber happy, come what may!

  Chapter Ten

  Amber was ecstatic to see Peter at the dining table, smiling at her.

  “Hope you slept well, sweetheart,” Peter said, grinning.

  Amber felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure it wasn’t a dream! Peter calling her sweetheart! Yes, he had addressed her thus last night too, but the circumstances then were so different. Finally, she saw in him the husband that she longed for.

  “I slept pretty well, thank you,” she smiled back. It seemed as if Rose too sensed the happiness around her and started clapping her hands with joy.

  “Good morning to you too, my love,” Peter held out his hands for Rose. She immediately ran to him and both father and daughter shared a kiss.

  Amber felt tears of happiness forming in her eyes. She blinked rapidly and joined her husband and daughter for breakfast.

  After Peter left the manor later that morning, Amber decided to make raspberry tarts for him. She sent the new kitchen maid, Nancy, to collect fresh raspberries from the market.

  “Lord Peter has strictly banned raspberries in the manor’s kitchen. Are you sure you want to use them?” Mrs. Beatrix asked Amber apprehensively.

  “Don’t worry, Mrs. Beatrix. I know Rose is allergic to them. I’ll just make a few tarts and keep them aside for Peter. We’ll make sure that Rose doesn’t get anywhere close to them.”

  “As you wish, my lady.”

  Soon, Nancy was back with a basket full of raspberries.

  “Here are your raspberries, my lady. You should have seen how little Rose relished them!” she said laughing.

  Amber and Mrs. Beatrix were mortified.

  “You fed her these raspberries,” Mrs. Beatrix almost shouted.

  “Uhhh….yes. She was playing in the hall and when I came with this basket, she ran to me and picked a few of them,” replied Nancy, a little alarmed. Amber was too stunned to move.

  “And you let her take them, you fool!” This time Mrs. Beatrix actually shouted.

  “Why? Doesn’t she like them? She seemed to relish……..”

  Mrs. Beatrix and Amber didn’t wait for her to finish the sentence. They ran to the main hall and there lay Rose, unconscious and covered with dark red spots!

  “Michael, MICHAEL!” shouted Amber. “Rush to the doctor. Call him immediately. Say it is an emergency.”

  Michael ran as fast as he could towards the stables. He sent one of the stable boys to fetch Peter and himself hurried towards the doctor’s house.

  Amber carried little Rose in her arms and took her to the nearest room. She was crying uncontrollably. What if something terrible happened to her! How would she face Peter? It was all her fault! She had insisted on making those goddamned tarts!

  ***************************************

  “Who dared to bring raspberries into this manor,” thundered Peter.

  “Peter, I just wanted to make a few tarts for you…..”

  “Mrs. Beatrix, didn’t you tell Amber that the damned fruit was banned in the kitchen?” Peter was angry beyond measure.

  Mrs. Beatrix remained silent, with her head down.

  “Please calm down Peter. Rose will be alright. Mrs. Beatrix did tell me about Rose’s allergy to raspberries but I thought……………..”

  “And you still brought them in here! How irresponsible can you be?” Peter shouted.

  “I am so sorry, Peter,” Amber was crying hard.

  “Sorry! You are sorry, Amber? What if something happens to Rose? You know what! I made a mistake! I made a huge mistake by marrying you and trusting you with Rose,” said Peter pointing his finger towards Amber. “This is the difference between a mother and a step-mother! Helena would never have risked Rose’s life like this on purpose,” continued Peter bitterly.

  His words stunned Amber. She felt as if she had been slapped hard. Her entire world came crashing down in a few seconds. Was he really accusing her of risking Rose’s life on purpose? She could not believe her ears!

  “My lord, there is nothing to worry about. Rose will be perfectly alright in a few hours. I have given her some sedative so she’ll be asleep for a couple of hours,” the doctor informed Peter.

  “Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much.” Without a single glance at Amber, Peter rushed in to see his daughter.

  Chapter Eleven

  Amber thanked God a million times that Rose was safe. As much as she wanted to see her once, hold her close to her heart, she could not do so. She must leave……at once!

  Amber hurriedly packed her belongings. Mrs. Beatrix and Michael tried to stop her but to no avail. When Peter no longer trusted her, considered her a threat to Rose’s well-being, how could she stay back in this house? Now that she was assured that Rose would be alright, she had to leave. With tears rolling down her eyes, she looked at the manor one last time and then left with a broken heart.

  **********************************

  Peter knew that Amber was leaving. But he couldn’t bring himself to stop her. Hell, he could not even face her after all the cruel words he’d inflicted upon her. Peter hated himself! When had he become so cruel, so bitter? He thought he’d finally accepted Amber as his wife. Then how could he accuse her of all those horrible things? And that too, after everything she’d done for him and Rose!

  Peter poured himself another drink. Just then, Michael announced the arrival of Her Grace.

  “Peter, are you alright? You look awful,” exclaimed his mother.

  “Mother, what a pleasure to see you!”

  “What have you done to yourself? You promised me after Helena’s death that you will stay off alcohol.”

  “Yes, mother. I have broken my promise. But you know what, I’ve broken another promise too. I promised Helena that I’d keep Amber happy. And look what I’ve done! I have hurt her in the worst possible manner! I am not a good man mother, I am not a good man!” Peter was miserable.

  “Oh Peter! You ARE a good man. You said all those things to Amber because you were scared…scared of losing Rose! I am sure you didn’t mean them.” Lady Bryton could feel her son’s pain.

  “Still, mother. I had no right to talk to her like that. She filled this empty house with love and what I gave her in return? Misery! Contempt! She has every right to hate me.”

  “Who says that she hates you? Peter, the love that I’ve seen in her eyes for you and Rose, it can’t be diminished by a few misunderstandings. I am sure she’ll understand if you go to her and confess your love. You do love her, right?” Lady Bryton asked softly.

  “I love her, mother. I love her with all my heart! After Helen
a, I had thought that I’d never be able to love again. But she proved me wrong. I love her so much that her absence is killing me.”

  “Then go, my son. Go to her and apologize for your behavior. Don’t hesitate in letting her know how much you love her!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Amber had been crying the entire day. Just when she thought that her life had become perfect, everything scattered like a pack of cards. She loved Peter so much that the contempt that she saw in his eyes literally shred her heart into a million pieces.

  “Amber, are you awake, my dear?” her mother asked softly.

  “Yes, mother.” She quickly wiped her tears. She had not yet told her parents what exactly happened at the manor. Her mother was thinking that she’d had a small fight with Peter and had even admonished her for coming back like that.

  “Peter is here to see you.”

  Amber immediately got up from her bed. Peter had come to see her! Oh God! She hoped Rose was alright!

  She rushed to the door where Peter was standing and asked, “What happened? Is Rose alright?”

  “Yes. She is perfectly fine,” he smiled and gave her the small bouquet that he held in his hands.

  Amber’s mother asked, a little confused, “What happened to Rose?”

  This meant that Amber had not yet informed her parents of the fiasco.

  “Nothing, Aunt Wikfield. She’s just down with a little fever,” lied Peter.

  “Oh! I’ll leave you two here now so that you can pour your hearts out to each other. Peter, Amber has been very upset since she arrived this morning. You better cheer her up,” she said in mock anger.

  “I am here to do just that.”

  As Amber’s mother closed the door behind her, Peter looked at Amber and said, “Amber, I know that I don’t deserve it, but yet I ask you to forgive me for all those hateful things that I said to you. I didn’t mean a single word of what I said. I just got…I got scared. I thought I would lose Rose.”

  Amber watched him in silence.

  When she didn’t respond, Peter continued, “You have taught me how to love selflessly, Amber. And I promise you I’ll always love you, no matter what life throws our way.”

  “What did you just say? You…you love me?”

  “Of course I love you, sweetheart. And I am so sorry I gave you reason to doubt that!” Peter moved closer to her and put his arms around her waist.

  He still loved her! Amber didn’t know how to respond to that.

  “Please tell me that you still love me….that you still want to be with me. I need you Amber…and Rose needs you too. Our lives are incomplete without you.”

  “I love you Peter, I do. I’ve loved you ever since I understood the meaning of love,” replied Amber with tears in her eyes.

  “So does that mean you’ve forgiven me for being a brute to you?”

  “Yes,” laughed Amber. “And you must forgive me too. Whatever happened today was my……”

  “Let’s just forget about all of that! And focus our energies on what is going to happen next,” said Peter with humor in his eyes.

  “And what is that?” Amber was a bit confused.

  “A deep, passionate, mind numbing, nerve wracking kiss!” he laughed.

  And they both made sure that it did happen!

  THE END

  Regency Romance

  A Prize to Be WON

  Defiant Lords Series

  Rose Haven

  Regency Romance: A Prize to Be WON

  Chapter One

  Lady Rebecca Thompson could not believe her ears. She’d just been told by one of her reliable sources that her brother, Lord Peter Thompson, the Earl of Leicester, had lost a major part of their estate in a wager. She was furious beyond words. Peter had gone a bit too far this time. How could he wager their estate like that! It was not like he was the sole owner of the property; her father had expressly mentioned in his will that she was entitled to half the estate. He probably knew that his son was too much like him and that he could not trust him with the entire estate.

  Rebecca already bore the brunt of being the daughter of a man who with the reputation of being a womanizer and a gambler. She knew all too well that the daughter of such a man was considered a social pariah. None of the ladies of the ton wanted their sons to shower their attention on her, let alone marry her. All her dreams of marrying well into polite society came crashing down last season. She did not intend to attend this year’s season due to all those bitter memories.

  As if this black spot on their reputation was not enough, Peter was now hell bent on sullying their family name further through his foolish actions. It was well known that beautiful women were his weakness, but of late, he’d started gambling too. He was totally like their father in his actions and words but, unfortunately, he hadn’t inherited the old man’s good luck. While their father had amassed an enviable fortune in gambling, Peter was the exact opposite. He’d lost a good amount of that fortune in wagers and now he’d apparently even lost the estate.

  Rebecca had to confront him over this issue. How could he wager something that did not entirely belong to him? She knew that Peter would be completely drunk by the time he returned, but she wanted to talk to him anyway. No one could stop her from unleashing her fury on her fatheaded brother.

  Alex, the butler, interrupted her thoughts to let her know that Lord Peter was waiting for her in the study. Rebecca felt a twinge of self-righteousness. So, he want to talk about his foolishness, after all. When she entered the study and looked at her brother’s face, she realized that he was sober. For the first time in her life, she felt real dread. The look on Peter’s face told her that something very ominous had happened.

  “Rebecca, please come in and have a seat.”

  “What am I hearing Peter?” she asked, trying to sound as stern as possible. “Have you lost the estate in a wager?”

  “So, you’ve already heard about it?” He looked a little flustered but relieved all the same. “I was thinking of an appropriate way to disclose this information to you.”

  “Have you lost your mind? How could you? Don’t you know that half of the estate belongs to me? I already have to bear the consequences of father’s actions and now you leave me no option but to die a spinster! Do you feel no responsibility towards me?”

  “I know I have been a complete moron and I am really sorry for it. But you must understand that I cannot change what has happened, we’ve lost the estate Rebecca. We’ve lost it!” Tears rolled down his cheeks. Rebecca could see guilt mixed with extreme helplessness in his eyes. She had never seen her brother so broken and frail before, not even when their mother died.

  “But….but how is that possible? Doesn’t half of it belong to me? And lawfully, you can wager only what is yours, right? So that means that half of it is still safe. No one can take that away from us; I didn’t give you the permission to wager my part too,” Rebecca tried to reason. Although she was not much aware of the legalities of the system, she knew that Peter could not wager her part of the estate without her permission.

  “I am the owner of the entire estate Rebecca,” Peter said in a small voice. Rebecca looked at him, stunned.

  “What are you saying? Don’t you remember father’s will? He mentioned that…..”

  “You…..you remember a few months back I asked you to sign some papers?” Rebecca nodded silently. Oh Jesus! Please don’t let her worst fears come true! She didn’t like where the conversation was heading.

  “I told you that I needed some funds to start a new venture and asked for your signature to sell off some joint property. Well, in those papers, I had hidden a paper wherein it was mentioned that you relinquished your right to the estate in my favor.”

  Once again, Rebecca found it hard to believe her ears. Her own brother had done this to her, deceived her in the worst possible way!

  “I am so sorry Rebecca. At that time, I didn’t realize what I was doing. I just wanted to show one of my friends that I was the own
er of the entire estate….”

  “I know exactly who that “friend” of yours is!” Rebecca shrieked. “I can’t believe you did that to me! And to impress one of your whores!” Rebecca knew it was improper of her to say such a thing, but she was too furious to care about any proprieties. Peter had genuine regret in his eyes, but Rebecca refuses to melt this time. It was all her fault. If she’d been strict enough with him from the beginning, he wouldn’t have strayed so much.

  But what could she do? Peter had been so heartbroken when their mother passed away. Although he was just a year younger than her, Rebecca had always been fiercely protective of her younger brother. Both of them had survived a turbulent childhood. Their father had always been too busy with his dalliances to pay any attention to his own children. His unfaithfulness was all too public and Rebecca and Peter had constantly watched their mother cry and pine for her husband’s love.

  While she did love her children, especially Peter, most of the time she’d been consumed by her own sorrows. Rebecca and Peter spent their entire childhood craving their parents’ love and attention. Their circumstances made them dependent on each other and they shared a very close bond. Rebecca, being the elder sibling, always took care of her brother’s needs and demands and Peter, in turn, respected her immensely.

  But everything changed once their mother passed away. Peter had fallen into questionable company by then and began spending more time than was required at all the wrong places. Rebecca did try to talk some sense into him but she didn’t push him enough to give up his newly-acquired habits. He’d been so depressed that Rebecca thought his “indulgences” would perhaps lessen some of his pain. But she’d been wrong. She should’ve seen that he’d started following in their father’s footsteps. She didn’t realize it, but the erstwhile Earl of Leicester did. He knew that his son was too much like him for his own good. That was the reason why he divided his estate between both of them before dying. That was perhaps the only praiseworthy thing he ever did for his children. But now Peter’s foolishness had overcome his father’s precautions and the entire estate was lost! No, Rebecca couldn’t let that happen. She had to do something to set things straight.